Chapter 77 |
In a corner of the training ground, a small desk and a slightly bright, eerie light stood in place.
Underneath that light, Rezé was sitting on a chair, shivering violently, tightly bound.
"She's definitely a spy sent by them. I'm certain of it," Luna muttered in the makeshift interrogation room she had set up in the corner of the training ground.
"Keke, I don't think that's the case."
"No, I'm sure of it. I even have evidence to prove it."
Evidence.
Meaning proof that can be substantiated.
Luna had found something even I hadn't?
Impossible. From my perspective, this was a perfect misconception on Luna's part.
Thinking that Rezé was dispatched to detect this trap and extract information was undoubtedly a mistake.
"Keke, it must be a misunderstanding on Miss Luna's part."
"Really? Then why did she approach me?"
Uh... That is.
Right? I'm curious about that too.
"Do you have any experience with interrogation or questioning?"
"Well, I do have somewhat similar experiences."
I've had the heart-pounding experience of a date with Caron where one mistake could snap my neck.
Not just once, but twice.
"Hmph, leave it to me. I'm practically a professional."
Ah, I see.
I wish you'd say that in front of Caron.
'Well, it seems fun, so why not let it be?'
It might turn out that Luna has been a master of interrogation after all.
If so, she could be of great help in a fight with Caron.
"Shall we go then? Watch closely from behind me and learn."
Luna gathered papers from here and there, creating a fairly thick stack of documents.
Then, she dropped it with a thud in front of Rezé.
"See this? This is all evidence."
"Evidence?"
"Yes. Evidence that you're a spy."
"Ke, keek! I, I'm not a spy! I don't know how to do such scary things!"
"Denying it even in the face of evidence?"
Luna swung her fist onto the table.
Bang!
"Ke, keek!"
"You better answer my questions correctly from now on! Or else..."
"Or else what?"
"You'll be buried where no one can find you."
Luna laughed with an ominous smile.
Seeing this, I realized.
What? A master of interrogation? I was foolish to expect that.
"You're of noble birth, right? What's your full name?"
"Re, Rezé de Leria."
"Where are you from?"
"The, the South."
"A harsh and hot land. A land of people befitting warriors."
Luna scribbled with a pen.
"Let's see... Despite the fragile appearance, you have the spirit of a warrior inside. A point to note."
"That's not true! I'm weak!"
"Your denial itself proves there's a hidden warrior within you! You are a warrior! Noted!"
Rezé's strength stat was a mere 3.
Barely able to wield a club properly.
There couldn't be a less intimidating warrior.
"What do you like?"
"Ca, carrots?"
"An unusual taste, preferring something tasteless. Shows a rebellious spirit against society. Noted."
"What!?"
"What do you dislike?"
"Sc, scary people."
"I'm exactly that scary person!"
Bang!
"Ke, keeeek!!"
"Speak clearly! Why did you approach us!"
"That, that is..."
"You can't say, can you! Because Teron sent you!"
"No, no! I came here of my own will!"
Luna jumped up onto the table, then leaned in close to Rezé's face.
"Hehe, to go to such lengths and still not admit it. Truly a well-trained spy. But, you made a fatal mistake!"
"A mistake?"
"You said it was fun to take a photo with me, didn't you?"
"I did."
"Wishing to take a photo with me is strange in itself! No one wants to take a photo with me!"
Luna's relentless self-deprecation!
But logical. I'd applaud it if I could.
"Tell me! What was your reason for approaching us!"
"Ah, it's so unfair! I'm, I'm really not!"
"This won't do. We'll have to resort to torture to get her to talk."
"To, torture!?"
Rezé's complexion turned pale.
Moving behind her, Luna started to untie her hands.
And then.
Began to tickle her.
"How about that? Tickle much? Can't stand it, can you? You want to confess the truth right now, don't you?"
"Kyaha, kyahahahaha! Stop, stop it! Kyahah!"
She raised her hands to cover her face.
This is truly hard to watch.
Wait, I'm supposed to be closing my eyes, aren't I?
"Tell the truth right now! Then I'll let you off easy!"
"Kyaha, kyahah! Stop it! No more!"
"Speak!"
"I, I wanted to be friends!"
Rezé's voice echoed throughout the training ground.
As soon as Luna heard Rezé's words, she stopped.
As if she had malfunctioned.
"Fr, friends... I wanted to be friends with Miss Luna... so I followed you."
Rezé's confession timidly emerged from her small mouth.
Only then were we able to be sure.
"Zero."
"Yes."
"You're thinking the same, aren't you?"
"That's correct."
This child named Rezé.
"Is definitely a spy."
"Definitely a spy."
She wants to be friends with our Luna.
She's out of her mind.
In other words, she was definitely a spy!
Using the [Eye Opening] skill, I looked at Rezé.
She must have felt an immense pressure.
"What are you talking about! How does wanting to be friends make me a spy!?"
"Miss Luna bites people. And you want to be friends with her! There's no way such a pervert exists in this world!"
"Burn her! Burn her at the stake! There's no need to hear more!"
"Kyaaaah!"
Thump-.
Perhaps she was too shocked.
Rezé, still tied to the chair, suddenly fell over.
She even struggled to breathe.
"What, what's happening! Why is she like this all of a sudden?"
"Miss Luna, you've killed her!"
"She's not dead yet! Don't kill a perfectly fine girl! You take responsibility!"
As they were avoiding blame and circling around the desk.
"...I did."
"What?"
"I spoke... too... much..."
"...?"
"I've exceeded my... word limit for the day. Need to... rest."
What is she talking about now?
Exceeded her word limit for the day?
I couldn't understand what she meant.
Suddenly, Rezé's gaze changed.
She looked at us with half-open, drowsy eyes.
Slither-.
"What, what's this!"
"???"
Luna and I couldn't help but be shocked.
Rezé fiddled with her hands tied behind her, and then untied the ropes that were securely tied.
Wrists, legs, then the torso.
She easily unraveled the ropes like a snake slipping through grass.
‘What's that? That's scary.’
The [Survivalist] trait had activated.
A cheat-like trait that temporarily doubles agility and intelligence in a crisis situation.
She had freed herself with the overwhelming power of her stats.
Rustle-.
Thump-.
Rezé rummaged through a pocket dimension bag and pulled out a box.
The box was painted with the pattern of the training ground wall.
"I need to rest... The rest... Next time... Do it."
That was her last word.
She attached the box to the wall, squirmed into it, and closed the lid with a snap.
Then the box disappeared.
It blended into the training ground wall, becoming invisible to the eye.
The box Rezé created was a perfect match for the training ground pattern.
‘...What kind of thing is that.’
It was my first time seeing such an outlandish character.
Not just going into a box to live, but also having a daily word limit.
She was truly a strange child.
"What? How did it get untied?"
"Keke, perhaps you tied it wrong?"
"That's impossible. The rope must have been faulty. Hey, tie me up."
Luna turned her back, and I complied with her request, tying her hands.
Then I tied her feet. I even put tape over her mouth.
"Ee, eeek!"
Luna struggled and began to try and untie the rope.
Indeed, Luna is cutest when she's quiet.
She seemed to want to say something to me, but I lightly ignored it.
I had something to think about.
'Would Rezé be okay?'
What I was considering was whether it would be okay to recruit Rezé as a companion.
The first and absolute condition for becoming our companion.
'She must not be sociable.'
Attracting unnecessary attention could draw eyes to us, but it could also poach the protagonists for our party.
Insiders are smoother than you'd think.
Someone like Raymon could be easily brought over.
'But Rezé is clearly a loner.'
From our conversation, it seemed she had not a single friend.
Her timid personality, gloomy appearance, daily word limit, and being a box enthusiast (?) of sorts.
With such traits, it would be impossible for her to make friends.
Meaning, she was an excellent candidate for companionship.
However.
'The problem is the coward title.'
I can't include a child who runs away from the battlefield in our party.
It would be a great loss if she ran away after all the effort put into raising her.
It's best not to include troublemakers.
'Well, she could be useful until the mid-part of the story...'
But it would be impossible from the latter half with its many area-of-effect skills.
Thinking it over, it's still a no-go.
I want companions who can stay with me from the beginning to the end.
"Ugh!"
"Ah, right."
I approached Luna, who was squirming while tied up.
And bent down to grab the rope.
The rope left over from tying up Luna.
'I'll put it in the pocket dimension.'
There might be another use for it someday.
I was organizing the rope to put it away when it happened.
"Excuse me, your reservation time is up..."
A group of girls entered the training ground, opening the door.
"..."
What is it? Why are they looking at me like that again?
And this time, their gazes were as if they were looking at a real pervert.
I slowly looked around.
The desk and chair, illuminated by the eerie light.
Luna, groaning while tied up at my feet.
And the rope in my hand.
Ah... This is.
"Sorry, have a good day..."
"Hey, isn't this something we need to report? This is totally perverted."
"No, I've heard there's such a play (?)."
Thud-.
The kids closed the door and left.
The next day, I heard that I was being called as...
The greatest pervert of Annwood Academy.
* * *
Lérang's basic swordsmanship class.
Today was an outdoor lesson.
Precisely, it was the day for practical basics of swordsmanship.
"Each family has their representative secret techniques. As you may know, these secret techniques are quite intricate."
Because they embody the characteristics of the family.
If you don't understand the basic swordsmanship that forms the foundation of the family, you can't use the secret techniques.
"But secret techniques are not exclusive to them. It's just difficult without the foundational swordsmanship, but it's possible to replicate them to a certain extent."
Teacher Lérang drew his sword.
"Even those unrelated to the respective families can use secret techniques, secret moves."
The foundational swordsmanship, the subtleties contained within, even specific muscle movements.
"It requires significant effort, but it's not impossible. This is important. Just like..."
This.
The third secret move of the Lérang family lineage.
Illusion Sword.
The secret technique of the Lérang family used by Lérang hit the wooden dummy directly.
Crash-!
Thump-!
"Wow!"
"Woah!!"
About 30 cm apart, three wooden dummies.
All three had holes precisely in their hearts.
"I can use the swordsmanship of five families currently. Not all of them, but I can use two from each."
Meaning, he can use 10 secret sword techniques.
"Isn't that amazing? Swordsmanship from different families!"
"That was so cool!"
"So, this is 'Lérang the Imitator'... It's fitting."
"Should I try learning it too? Honestly, our family's swordsmanship isn't that cool..."
The children's mouths moved non-stop.
It was when they unanimously praised Teacher Lérang's greatness.
Yuridia raised her hand.
"Teacher, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"By any chance..."
The One Flash of the Lester family.
"Can you use that?"
--TL Notes--
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